Welfare for Baguio Pony Boys Upscaled through MOA Signing

A Memorandum of Agreement was signed earlier today that aims to enhance the efficiency and delivery of government programs and services as well as to capacitate the beneficiaries with necessary technical assistance for productivity, service quality, and resiliency.

Scale Up the Implementation of Trabaho, Turismo, Asenso: Ang Pony Boys Project was entered by the regional offices of Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of Tourism (DOT), Department of Environment and National Resources (DENR), Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB), Professional Regulation Commission (PRC), Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), City Government of Baguio, Barangay Lualhati, Wright Park Horse Handlers Consumers Cooperative, and Kabalyero Guardians, Inc.

No less than DOLE Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma witnessed the signing. The secretary was joined by Mayor Benjie Magalong and the regional directors and officers of concerned government line agencies.

The Pony Boys in Baguio City were among those who were drastically affected by the negative effects of COVID-19 lockdowns and restrictions. Aside from losing their livelihood, veterinary care for the horses were inaccessible. The project aims to reduce poverty, alleviate welfare, and prepare the recipients and their families related to employment and business opportunities along with the full reopening of commerce and tourism.

Secretary Laguesma, Mayor Benjie, and other officials also visited the project sites, namely the Horse Handlers Convenience Store and the Landscaping and Production of Organic Fertilizer. Both establishments are DOLE-Assisted Livelihood Projects.

Wright Park Horse Handlers Consumers Cooperative President Darwin Alquizar and Kabalyero Guardians, Inc. President Adonis Tinapngan expressed their profound gratitude to the DOLE Secretary and to all the government agencies involved with the project.